Index



R. C. RUSSELL.

INDEX.

APPLICATION man NOV. 28, I92].

Bay Bass Baa/7K 550w 27 77. 5-

5R0 My citizen of the United States, and

4 Indexes; and I do hereby declare the folreamed Nov. re,- 1922.

oat-rs ROBERTC. RUSSELL, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA;

' INDEX.

Application filed November 28 1921. Serial No. 518,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT C. RUSSELL, a a resident of Pittsburgh, in'the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania liave invented certainnew and useful Improvements in lowing to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to improvements in 'ind'exes, one object of theinvention being to improve indexes wherein the names are arranged inaccordance withphonetic subdivisions of a key rather than thealphabetical structure of thenames, 1

A further object is to provide an index of the character above outlined,in which the placing of key designations on the name cards of the indexshall be avoided and in which necessity for translating the subdivisionsof-the key into numerical or other b designating or arbitrarily selectedequivalents shall be obviated. v

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features as hereinafter set forthand pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a view of a ortion of a cardindex showing an rembo lment of my invention; Figure 1 is a view of aguide member of one of the index element groups, and Figures 2 to 6 areviews of name cards of certain index element groups.

My improved index comprises a phonetic key element and a plurality ofindex element groups, each of said index element groups comprising aguide member and any desired number of name members.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings, I haveillustrated the same in a card index, but my improvements-might beembodied in an index of the book type.

The key elementl may be produced on a card held, in a suitable fr of thedrawer in which thelndex elements are placed, or it may be printed onthe guide members of the index element groups or both, or the key may beadapted for use in operating the index without actual phy-y sicalconnection with the guide membersor the container for the indexelements.

In order that the names may be-grouped .which I provide a e on one endphonetically, I employ a key element 1, in phonetic arrangementcomprising eight divisions, asfollows:

First: The oral resonants represented by their alphabetical equivalentsa, e, 2', o, u and 3 and their combinations:

Second: The labials and labio-dentals, the former being represented by bp and sometlmes f, and the latter being represented by e and sometimes7,-

'Third: The gutterals and the sibilants,- the former being representedbyg k g and sometimes as, and the latter being represented by c s z andsometimes an.

Fourth: The dental-mutes represented by t and d:

b Fzifth': The palatal-fricative represented Sixth The labio-nasalrepresented by m:

Seventh: The dento or lingua-nasal repre sented by n Eighth: Thedental-fricative represented The eight elements comprising the phoneticarrangement may be graphically represented as followsa b-.f-p-V. I c-g(discard gh)-k-q-x-s (discard final s)-z (discard final z).

The several divisions of the phonetic key will preferably berepresented, each by one of the letters of the phonetic divisions of thekey, and where a phonetic division of the key comprises more than asingle letter, I prefer to employ the first letter of the division torepresent the entire group of letters contained in such a phoneticdivision of the key. Thus the phonetic key may be represented asfollows:

b=b, f, 1p, v.

I:I' In the division e of the key element, the diagraph gh is notconsidered repre sentative of the element, as the same is ber of adifferent phonetic division, only the first is regarded. Thus thephonetic valuation of Mack is M-a-c, and of Ball, B 1.

The division a of the key element (the vowels) is used only once in aname, regardless of how many times a vowel may appear in the name. Thus,the .name Carter 1s phonetically represented by C-a-r-t-e-r.

In the practical application of my invention, it is desirable to regardthe initial letters of the names in their alphabetical significance.This allows the division of the index into twenty-six parts according tothe initial letters of the names. Then the phonetic arrangement isapplied, making the subdivisions of each surname initial letter groupconform to a phonetic rather than the alphabetical standard.

In Figure 1 of the drawing, I have shown a drawer or container 2 toreceive index elements 3 for names having the initial letter B.

Each index element group or section comprises any desired number of namecards 4 and a guide card 5,the cards 4' being hereinafter referred to asname members and the guide cards 5 being designated guide members. Thename members of each index element group is intended to contain thesurnames of persons (preferably one on each name member) and thesemembers may also have written thereon such reference data as thecharacter and purpose of a particular index may require. The guidemember of each index element group will preferably be made of heaviercard board than thatemployed for the name members, and each guide memberis provided with a tab 6 to receive letters emblematic or representingdivisions of the key element. A guide member may contain a letterrepresenting one division of the key element, or it might con-- tainletters representing two or more divisions of the key ,element. Thus inan index of considerable size, it will be found desirable to sub-dividethe index so that names containing phonetic elements in accordance withtwo or more divisions of the phonetic key element, may be groupedtogether and thus segregate such names from those which may contain aless'number of phonetic divisions of the key so that the time requiredto construct the index or to search for a particular name may beminimized.

Each phonetic division of the key may be combined with one or more otherphonetic divisions according to the phonetic structure of names to beindexed. In Figure 1 of the drawings, I have illustrated how thephonetic division a of the indexmay be combined with each of the otherphonetic divisions and instances in which a third phonetic division maybe combined with two of the others. The first index element group shownin Figure 1 has upon its guide member, the designation (a) whichrepresents the first phonetic division of the key. The name cards inthis index element group will contain names which contain only (afterthe initial letter), a letter of the phonetic division afof the key.Thus the. name Bay may be entered on a name card of this index elementgroup, and also such names asmay contain any one of the vowels withoutalso containing any of the other phonetic divisions of the key. Thesecond index element group is shown as intended to receive names whichcontain phonetic divisions a and b of the key, such for example as,Babb, Bobb, and Bibb. The next index element group shown in Figure 1 isdesignated to contain names which contain three phonetic divisions ofthe key, such as a, b and c. In this index element group, such names asBabak or names containing any one of each of the letters of the phoneticdivisions a, b and c of the key. Such names as Brow would appear in theindex element group designated on its guide member by the phoneticdivision 1' of the .key', and such names as Brown would be found in theindex element group having the phonetic key divisions r and a and ndesignated on its guide member.

In any case, re ardlessof the minuteness of subdivisions 0 the index,all'names containing phonetic divisions of the key, between the keydesignations on the guide member of one index element group and the keydesignations on the guide member of the next succeeding index elementgroup would be entered. Thus in the example shown in Figure 1, shouldthe index element group designated by the phonetic key divisions a b beomitted, all names which would otherwise be entered in such indexelement group, would be found in the index element group having thephonetic division 2a of the key designatedon its guide mem- By employingletters contained in the divisions of the key as emblematic orrepresentative of the phonetic divisions of the key, I minimize thepossibility 0f error which might arise from the accidental'transpositionof numerical equivalent key designations and I also avoid the danger oferror arising out of the translation of phonetic key division into thedivision equivalents.

By confining the phonetic key designations I name members for names andto the guide members of the key element groups, I save the time, laborand expense of applying such designations to the name members of theindex element-groups and at the same time reserve the space on the othermatter which they must contain.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is

1. An index comprising a key element and index element groups, said keyelement having inscribed thereon aplurality of. ph0 netic divisions ofletters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions eachconsisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which itdesignates, and the index element groups provided with designationscorresponding to designations of the phonetic divisions of the key.

2. An index comprising a key element and index element groups, said keyelement having inscribed thereon a plurality of pho netic divisions ofletters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions eachconsisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which itdesignates, each index element group comprislng guide and name members,the guide members of the index element groups having thereon keydesignations in accordance with the letter designations of the phoneticdivisions of the key and in accordance with the names indexed on thename members of the index elements.

3. An index comprising akey element and index element groups, said keyelement having inscribed thereon a plurality of phonetic divisions ofletters of the alphabet and designations for said divisions eachconsisting of a letter contained in the phonetic division which itdesignates, and the index element groups provided with designationscorresponding to designations of the phonetic divisions of the key,index element groups into sub-index element groups, such means beingprovided with designations consist-ing of combinations of designationsof phonetic divisions of the key.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscrib ing witnesses.

ROBERT C. RUSSELL. Witnesses:

J. CLIFFORD RUssELL, ROBERT A. Donn's.

means subdividing said

